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丰田承认换踏板不一定能全部解决加速问题

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发表于 2010-2-24 15:48 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
老杨团队,追求完美;客户至上,服务到位!
By LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS
; a- O  }' g8 U8 I( {8 _% n5 S5 Z6 U) aWashington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.
/ Y1 b6 u) y6 M8 ?3 [1 V" woperations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that
2 u$ `7 O. ]( g, n3 Nthe company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"
1 n- O& x3 n# z8 N* s8 bsolve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.; q* d+ Z, }$ \
"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential  g! x2 X  `/ j- {# K
causes," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.* ^' r4 ~, B* u3 ~1 Z
However, he repeated his company's position that unexpected( X2 w( R, a: X: ?) M, K# }/ y9 d, j
acceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and% @0 @6 E4 M. q
trucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor
/ {2 b5 p) n6 Dmats and sticking accelerator pedals.
) Q( T% P7 e: D5 e: [He insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal( Y" T$ t1 ?* @5 ?
and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp" a$ [6 C  p' q' O
criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
  Y- g9 }1 d- `3 S/ S) R6 ofurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could
3 q: m, s/ v2 t/ `not stop her runaway Lexus.
" R0 k1 e4 z# C3 F* L/ B( H"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,& v$ s% x5 j7 k/ l
Tenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second
2 c; I) v7 G* o1 t* ^( u"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.
# e* D; S& A( r9 }( K4 |Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues
* m8 q$ a" }+ K- f2 o$ I& Uearly in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said
/ O1 l& c: I5 \3 ^"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has; v1 D. X1 S* o3 O3 W) h
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway. d% S) x- G. ~. B! u5 ]) [
through Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's/ C/ `* I* U; C5 n5 i. S# A6 t
investigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."
: r8 J$ g0 t9 D/ u  lLentz said the company had not completely ruled out an
% K& b& W! Z/ J: R7 ]electronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of
' ]2 Q: w0 [0 X0 Y- J7 fthe sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a
5 U/ n) x& s6 R! [5 |. cmalfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he
! M+ g5 n% K% Z- M! rsaid.
+ U& X1 x5 \! \6 ^; TAs to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
- I( K9 D5 N# t( h5 ohappened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
: B, {; V( S% s5 C6 {: habout driving our products," Lentz said.
: e2 R. \! H9 oThree congressional panels are investigating Toyota's
7 Z2 |; J( d/ b) f/ b2 Cproblems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has# u, r2 j) {8 U
recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 6
) H! u7 z' H3 X+ J% mmillion in the United States -- since last fall because of
1 b3 w7 s3 f3 S4 j5 U8 G. y3 @unintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking: M) q" b9 D; K# @) `
issues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering/ _& ^' W* l6 [' T5 ?2 \
concerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of: D( v6 w( p* {/ Q7 v
their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow0 B0 q8 s9 C5 I5 \$ M; x0 ^" Y: S$ X% N
down, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has
/ c0 r' R5 ]& l+ e% Qreceived complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration6 q( O6 }8 J" T
of Toyota vehicles since 2000./ l0 a+ n% [1 M- P7 H1 K+ ~* J8 m! ]0 P
Lentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own$ g, y$ Y. r, q* V5 ?
brother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he* p: S0 {! G) w3 u9 M  `5 ?
understood the pain.7 r. O( U+ n1 A5 l- v5 T3 O' T
"I know what those families go through," he said.
! n3 [! O! x% T1 j! W: P( |Lentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's# c' i2 R( y3 y5 O  ^5 I
fixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.: ]2 \. P( K0 Q, l: F8 B+ k
But when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, F0 l6 P+ J1 z  D
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put
+ }  _# g+ |7 ?/ h8 V0 win place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,+ T# i. X5 G2 n# s  V0 E7 ^! q
Lentz replied: "Not totally."% d8 A& ^! {' O/ z8 t! @
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were
$ T1 O4 l! W5 L; p/ M; D3 o. W6 e"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said
. ~4 H) K$ C; {$ F; UToyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas) K# ?% ~- c3 f2 V; @2 e
pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its9 \, t# Z0 ~3 `  F$ U3 Z( n  C) ?) l
vehicles already on the road.! x) |7 m+ r; |2 L$ P5 V) v
Meanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify
. T3 H0 P6 P4 y4 V% Y' {3 gbefore a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full6 H* M( i" g* O# ]
responsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and7 n5 v, k+ G7 I
offered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
- V: ?8 r3 K2 N' Qkilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.
! g# s6 I: K& K# r& ]"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a2 R9 F* b: F8 c5 Y3 M; A  g
tragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony: ?8 h. [" k/ S4 D: E5 P: a9 E
for Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight/ A% M! L6 B1 [  N7 H; H
Committee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal; d& E: v5 w- ~0 t  X2 N
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to. D0 C8 w2 n+ p
restore the trust of our customers."# E- s7 S+ L+ P$ M
Lawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from
; \! S( K/ ^/ K* MSmith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly6 ], K5 Y0 X- \! J1 y9 |
zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
! X  G# C. @$ ~/ oshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and
/ [2 j( \" X1 M0 s; Khitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough
1 J# B8 M  m$ N1 i* q" ]6 N7 D' }- Ethat she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and
  p/ m, T1 w! t8 @0 Gturn off the engine.4 d; N8 A5 J4 A" @' p8 [+ K) q
Fighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of
6 f6 T: b, |6 N& n' @2 |, DOctober 2006, calling it "a near death experience."
5 |- ]$ v  K% V; r% }6 v  h"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she
0 `5 V: }, W% y, isaid. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond
$ n5 J2 |: E; B5 q' K* dto her complaints.
' F' f' q$ Y, J+ {! bIn an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers
4 F$ z% D6 Z% P0 N- _$ R0 x( b5 ~returned again and again to the question of whether electronic1 c, i$ z* p1 A, D( S& T% c
malfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.
9 t1 a1 k. P/ F  [" h"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric
; I$ d, u! S1 {- z: Pthrottle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited/ V% y$ l' J* o3 A5 u2 j
"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut) l7 J3 P4 S' R7 U( v
off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."4 P' J8 R. M" E# f: N' a
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in
, z' E9 z9 C0 `5 o1 Z: n  S6 K% @prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were! m1 P6 Q; \7 s- T# `" J5 M  `1 f4 q
being looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls
, Y) i  p# ^9 S# _  C3 H) Vwere important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer# Y- |# i) X5 q! S. S: |$ q0 A( K
every question."8 q1 K5 N- E4 j! x  g5 ?; _
Toyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether
- z* C& \" H% ]9 Gelectronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The
. n+ v( v" U7 m7 E, k8 R8 Pfirm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But/ U# v/ Y4 m- @
committee investigators said the testing studied only a small9 \& S6 ~! y: m. X/ w# I5 M6 A
number of vehicles! ~; q5 Y6 z1 {* z
Tracking down an electrical problem can be far more5 U% ^. b7 D. y3 I+ w
difficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a0 _8 \5 B( G7 c% }% i/ |
mechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one
7 V5 ~) Y$ q) {) E5 B5 n: q/ _; dsource, and they can come from inside or outside the car.6 z' P6 @. a8 J9 c) V
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,, I7 |& ]( M1 |- ^" y. u% @8 B
where electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
) L5 ~7 N& ^  Ktrace at all.
5 Z, h) Q# d6 P0 ~' h# h2 s+ o5 l/ zHouse investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call4 F; }4 f5 a" E, s, v# s
database found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden3 \2 d- l6 s/ J4 |
acceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the
. ]: z* @- b# \recalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.
8 b: Q' Z3 \" v: M) W4 n4 ~: X. m+ @Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,
7 t/ ]' v% ^$ H! J& L8 D7 Psaid Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and
9 y( u: U4 J4 h+ N8 ?" M6 qother independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the; h/ _5 X* o6 D1 I
electronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible
% w9 n2 }4 W+ |cause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only
4 F; s% u" T. c& m1 m: _4 k. csuch review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained
) d4 j; G+ F! J) M7 Zby Toyota's lawyers."
; h% U( g. _; wLentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of
" i% |. I3 y- U# N0 V% r. Yproblems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our9 n3 _5 u: j, ], I& q3 o2 {, B
customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he
9 J' ?: X) k% f2 r* Wsaid.
0 E& U& M! m7 j3 t" R; X7 p"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with8 b5 ~; k0 ]& Y& G
a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our
& Y0 p1 P) [" B' x8 wgood faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating# {9 V; I& N- N9 q- f" b
officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.2 ~3 I( j: w9 l9 \
Separately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying( n6 Y# |# `+ @6 K; Y! [
members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread
" l. K. y% A" ~" V& ]) |4 prancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the
0 s- i, H; o$ I0 R* }) Q+ B/ X9 `automaker, at least in part because of the government's7 p) ~: Q7 ~8 }& n8 j3 b
investment of billions of dollars in General Motors and
$ v' ^7 V) x' X4 K' }! iChrysler.
$ T" p& K% v2 p4 P/ j+ [5 @; Z: k. D"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax; @: }5 ^! R" Y7 u, c
dollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
3 H* e& Z4 p, jHouston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also
0 H+ s* B1 P6 `. z$ `$ n7 E0 Iserved as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete* J: @, A/ }; v& e& I0 f
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty
% T$ @. i# L9 r! I2 m8 ?tough."
8 L1 y4 I% v& y---7 X! n0 \) R$ Y$ H4 w9 m
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom
: c. S% `4 A2 T7 ?) q# D6 r- tRaum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to
& y/ M3 J1 L* [, B. a; t, M6 x: Tthis story.* v" ?: {; x( j1 ]' M( ]$ O
- c9 n, z+ H) n; d' g0 `$ M& W& p
-0- Feb/23/2010 21:04 GMT
鲜花(7) 鸡蛋(1)
发表于 2010-2-27 22:40 | 显示全部楼层
本来踏板就不是什问题的关键,recall也只不过是对大众的心理治疗罢了
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